The Drabble Collection
by Tripsoverhercats
Summary: A collection of 100 word drabbles I wrote back in 2005, content varies, but overall rated mature.
1. The Series

Overall Note: These are a series of drabbles from a livejournal community I played in way back in 2005. (That long ago... whoah) The goal was to write EXACTLY 100 words for each weekly challenge. Tricky, but fun. I've grouped the results of my scribbling in no particular order, outside of the "chapters". Connected works I either left together or made a seperate chapter for. I've classified the whole work as Mature, though some of it is light and goofy.

I hope you enjoy!

The Series

Title: Pretty Girl  
Character: Ouka

She sat in front of her mirror and carefully applied her makeup. Appearance counted, after all, her father had told her so again and again.

Appearance and attitude. If she acted and looked like she was in charge, then others would believe she was in charge. Right now she ruled her little clique of flower groupies and was poised towards a prominent position in the student government.

Ouka touched the last color on and smiled. Perfect, Omi wouldn't be able to resist her tonight. He was smart, attractive and she wanted him... and what a Takatori wanted, a Takatori got.

Title: Pouncing Lesson  
Characters: Schuldig, Crawford and OFC (original feline character)  
For Lodrelhai's request of Schuldig and a kitten.

"Mastermind."

"Yes?" Such utter innocence in the German's voice.

"Why are you underneath my bed?"

"Pouncing lesson."

"I see." Crawford sighed as he examined two pairs of bright blue eyes blinking back at him from underneath the edge of the comforter. "And precisely why is this 'pouncing lesson' being conducted in my bedroom?"

"Because you can't predict a cat." Telepath and tabby blinked in eerie synchronization. Unfortunately accurate. No precog could.

"Of course. Last question, then. Why is it _your_ hands that are wrapped around my ankle and not the cat's paws?"

Schuldig purred, "Oracle, the lesson is for _me_."

Title: Fussgangeruberweg (Crosswalk)  
Character: Schuldig  
A/N: I took 3 years of German in high school, and this word has stuck with me even though I've forgotten almost all of it.

He sits in the corner of the internet café where the window gives him the best view of the street and just watches. It's a busy intersection, people flowing across day and night, their minds a wordless hum.

And every once in a while he gives a little nudge.

_How would you cross if no one could see you?_

The best today was the young girl who cart wheeled her way over. She got a few rounds of applause, a lot of phone numbers and one ticket for public indecency. But really, it wasn't his fault she wasn't wearing underwear.

Title: Tardy Behaviour  
Characters: Omi, Aya, and an OC  
A/N: I fugure someone had to notice eventually...

He was late again. Tsukiyono was rarely late, but his teacher had begun to notice a pattern. Just before it happened, he would be tense and nervous and on the late day, he came in tired... and hurt.

She knew this sort of pattern. He needed to know that someone was around to listen. "Omi, if you could stay after class?"

Omi climbed into the trailer and crumpled onto the couch. "I need to change schools again."

"What already?" Aya frowned. "What's wrong now?"

"My teacher. She saw the damage from the missions and thinks I'm being 'abused'."

"Not again..."

Title: White Albums  
Challenge: Music

Omi spends a great deal of time downloading, mixing and burning music. All of it new, current, hot, now. On nights with no missions or pressing work, he slips off to the bright lights and noise of the "in" clubs. It's not that he really enjoys it, rather it serves a purpose. It makes him normal in the eyes of his peers, one of them, just good old Omi. For Bombay, normalcy is good. It keeps the suspicions away. And it isn't as if the music is completely worthless. He can dance to it and it has a catchy beat.

Ken loves the driving beat of rock. The faster it pumps him up the better. Music to race to, music to fight to, music to howl out his fury to. He finds the mosh pit irresistible, stripped to his waist, torso gleaming with sweat, pulse hammering in synch with the pounding beat. Other people are here for a taste of danger and excitement, but for him it's a safe outlet for his adrenaline, a heady blinding rush that reminds him of the perfect save, the sudden kill. And when another sweat-slicked body rubs against his in need... oh yeah... _goal_.

It is less music that Aya listens to and more ambiance. Soft instruments mixed with soothing sounds of a formal garden or the eternal rhythm of surf on a sandy shore. White noise, gently erasing the external world, leaving him free of mind to concentrate on a book, an elusive poem, or the relaxing cadence of a sword kata. There isn't much in his life that's tranquil and he treasures every moment when he can escape and remember that once he answered to a different name. This is all that's left of quiet, studious Ran and he's not sharing that.

Yohji's music is his mood meter. When he's happy or flirty there's nothing but generic dance mixes pouring from under his door. Sultry jazz means he's got a hot date, so don't bother knocking. When he's angry, he swipes Ken's favorite albums and shakes the windows with his fury. Then, there's That Song. He'll stick it on a loop and the rest of them keep track of the time. If he hasn't shut it off after an hour, Aya and Ken flip a coin to find out who has to break down the door and stay through the night again.

Title: A Dirty Little Affair  
Character: Yohji and and "old flame"

He grips my body easily, knowing just how to hold me. It's obvious he's done this before. I can taste it in his mouth, the lingering residue of those who were there before me.

We're in an alley, a sordid, dirty little street. Is that what he thinks of this? What we're doing? Is he even noticing me at all?

A door creaks open and he's whipping me away, hiding me. Dropping me to grind under his feet while he frantically tries to make amends with someone else.

Slut. Bastard. One of these days, one of us will kill him.

Title: Blood Cherry  
Character???

The movies got it all wrong. Death wasn't clean and simple or massive gouts of gore. There was no heart grabbing soundtrack, just gasps, curses and the thunder of blood roaring in his ears. Death _smelled._ Metallic blood biting at his tongue, the sharp tang of urine, the heavy stench of shit.

The man had fought back… begging for mercy… here take the money but let me live…

It should have been easier. He should have had a ready quip for the woman watching in the shadows ready to finish the job if he had faltered.

He needed a drink.

Title: Consequences  
Characters: Weiss  
A/N: Never mess with Yohji's hair. He gets even.

_"It's Tokyo's Junior Football champs!"_

"God… where did you find this!"

_"They're getting ready for National finals!"_

"Hn, how did you manage to tie Hidaka up like that?"

_"But first they need to fuel up!"_

"Ken-kun is so _kawaii!_"

_"So, what does 8-year old Ken Hidaka always have?"_

"I swear, when I get out of this, I'll kill you!"

_"TOP RAMEN! It's the best!"_

"Next time you decide blue dye in my shampoo is funny, Ken-Ken… just remember... I've got all six commercials and I'll show them to the fangirls. Oh, you owe me nine-thousand yen for the salon's bill."

Title: Justice  
Characters: Aya and Reiji

"_Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."_ - The Princess Bride

With the roaring of the flames, the thunder of his heartbeat and the clamor of the helicopter's blades above them, Aya couldn't hear what Reiji Takatori was saying, but the intent came through.

He didn't want to die. Neither had Aya's parents. Aya-chan didn't want to be lying in a hospital, maybe never to wake again.

"… I still have too much to do…"

"No." Aya snarled, twisting the blade deeper inside. "All you have to do is die." Takatori's hand slipped from the dangling ladder. "All you have to do is pay for those lives you stole."

Mission Complete.

Title: Pet Care  
Rating: PG  
Pairing:Aya/Yohji

"Kritiker." Yohji gasped.

Shit. Safe word. Aya moved fast, undoing the restraints, pulling Yohji into his arms. The lanky blonde was trembling.

"I'm so sorry." A whispered apology. "What was it?"

"The ice. You weren't talking and the ice…" a shuddering sigh. "Tripped a flashback."

Aya knew that that was the end of any play for the evening, maybe even the week. The woman who had been giving them pointers from the club was adamant about a few rules.

Never frighten your pet and if you do, _fix_ it. Yohji was his only as long as Yohji wanted to be.

Title: Disciplining Your Pet  
Characters: Aya/Yohji  
Rating: G  
Notes: A More lighthearted look at owning a Kudoh.

Yohji had just pulled out his cigarettes when a stream of water impacted the side of his head. "What the…"

"No more cigarettes until lunch." Aya was pointing the spray bottle at him

"But…"

A second stream smacked him in the shoulder. "No."

"Gah! Fine, fine. What's with the water?"

"My cat care book says it's the best way to discourage bad habits." Aya twisted the nozzle back to spray and resumed spritzing the flowers.

"What? I am not a cat!"

Aya looked at the irate figure of Yohji, furiously primping himself back into perfection. "Of course, Balinese. Of course."

Title: What the Cat Dragged in...  
Characters/Pairings: Weiss

Omi stared at the pair. Well, at Ken and the leather clad ass slung haphazardly over Ken's shoulder. The taller assassin was apparently conscious from the inebriated giggling that was centered at Ken's waist.

"You left him _where_?"

Ken swayed under the dual effects of an imbalanced load and way too much beer. "Um... don't remember. But they were doing body painting."

"Finger-painting." Came from behind Ken and a blue-green hand waved into view. "Fun."

"I don't know which one of them is going to kill you first. Aya, for getting him this drunk, or Yohji for taking his car."

Title: Morning After  
Characters: Ken, Yohji

A baleful eye glared out from under the pile of blankets as Yohji pushed open the door.

"Well, aren't you just the sorriest thing?" He said with a teasing lilt. He set down a tray laden with steaming tea, the heavy herbal scent wafting across the room. "Just how late were you out last night?"

A rude gesture was counter pointed with a feeble squeak.

A large portion of honey was measured and the tea handed over. "I mean really, Ken, how the hell did you manage to lose your voice at a soccer game?"

"World Cup playoffs," Ken whimpered.

Title: Womanhood  
Characters: Aya, Aya-chan

He brought a fashion magazine to make sure he was doing it right. He washed her hair carefully; it took two hours to style it like the picture. A nurse helped with the cosmetics, a simple and sophisticated makeover. Her dress was beautiful, zipped up the back to make it easy to clothe her.

It was only a sip, but Aya-chan mechanically swallowed her first taste of champagne. The strawberry ice-cream she so loved followed.

She had been so excited on his 18th birthday, chattering about what she wanted on her adulthood day too.

Just one more thing she'd lost.

Title: Cooking with Kudoh  
Characters: Weiss

The younger three members of Weiss stared as Yohji maneuvered around the kitchen, deftly turning odd ingredients into tantalizingly good food.

"When did you learn how to cook like that?" Aya asked as Yohji did something arcanely complicated with the wok.

"High school. Four years of cuisine classes."

"Cooking classes? But… but… only _girls_ take cooking classes!" Ken blurted out.

"Exactly." Yohji flashed a smile at the shocked trio. "Twenty-nine girls… and me." He sighed. "Ah, such fond memories." He glanced over at Omi, "Art classes are also heavily female. Take my advice and pick up an elective or two."

Title: In Pictures  
Characters/Pairings: Aya/Yohji  
Rating/Type: G

One of the fangirls had left behind a doujinshi, and Yohji couldn't resist picking it up.

"Hey, looks like some of the girls are secretly talented. It's us." Yohji smirked as he held up the thin book with lurid depictions of the foursome on the cover.

The inner contents caused the playboy's brows to skyrocket. "Can someone even get into that position? What kind of relationship do they think we have anyways?"

Aya paused from his arrangement and gave the art a quick glance. "Totally unrealistic. As if I'd ever let you be seme."

"But Aya, I'm the taller one!"

Title: Starting Over  
Characters/Pairings: Yohji and Omi  
Rating/Type: G  
Series: Pre-series

It was a busy first day out of the hospital and into his new "afterlife". The whirlwind tour of the flower shop was slower than his energetic guide would have liked, but Yohji wasn't up to moving fast.

"... and here's the greenhouse garden. Momoe-san likes to keep some of the more expensive flowers on hand." Omi turned and gestured broadly. "You don't mind all this? I know it's not what you expected, Kudoh-san."

The kid looked so eager to have his approval. "Call me Yohji, and I think it'll be fine. I've never gardened before." _No bad memories here._


	2. Side B

Gluhen and SideB

Title: Setback  
Characters/Pairings: RyoxAsuka  
Rating/Type: PG  
Series: Post-Gluhen

Gasping, she sagged to the floor next to her husband. She hadn't meant to hit him so hard, but the rage on his face... the hands on her throat... Asuka let go of the bat and concentrated on breathing. He was twitching, eyes flickering frantically behind closed lids. Whatever was happening in his mind was still going.

The phone was hard to reach, but she made it. "It's Siamese, sir. Something's gone very wrong." Her eyes drifted towards the scattered pottery, the dirt and young plants strewn across the room. "I think... I think the garden was a bad idea."

Title: Two Words  
Series: Side B  
Characters: Ken and Ryo?

Ken didn't feel right doing this. Aya had given the sword to Yohji, to hold onto, to give back. But Yohji was gone, he wasn't there anymore to return Aya's trust. There was only a stranger named Ryo Itoh, and Ken just couldn't ask him to come back. Ryo didn't understand, didn't know, he was not part of the shadows.

Just a confused office worker with a pretty wife, holding out the blade that was the only possession he had woken up with. A thousand unasked questions lurking in green eyes.

"Thank you."

There was nothing else he could say.

Two words. Just two words would change everything. But it was Ken standing there, and Ken he could fool. Had it been Aya… he would have lost. He never could hide anything from Aya. He returned to the door with the sword, holding it out, searching Ken's gaze. He… looked good. Like he had found his center again. There was so much he wanted to ask… How is Aya? Does he miss me? Do you need me?

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He watched Ken go. Words jammed in his throat. _I remember._ He couldn't say them. He wasn't ready to.

Challenge: Second-hand News  
Title: Promotion  
Character: Persia  
Series: Gluhen

For Persia, everything is filtered. Oh, he knows the facts, how his assassins performed, whether or not they were injured, those sorts of things. But he doesn't speak to them. He wonders occasionally, if the kid's team fulfills Siberian's love of a game he can no longer play, if Balinese would have been better off with the Crashers, gathering intelligence instead of killing, if Abyssinian's sister is happy… but that is pointless.

They are assets. Not his friends. They are tools. Not his team. He is Persia, not Bombay.

But if he could just see them… then he'd know.

Title: Moving Day  
Character: Ken  
Series: SideB

It was a long flight; even in business class Ken was frazzled. There was nowhere to move. Immigration took forever, he hated to think what it might have been like if his prison record hadn't been erased.

And everyone was speaking too fast. He felt like he should be toting a camera around saying "Solly" all the damn time.

Maybe he should have stayed, tried one more time with Kritiker.

The cab turned down another series of streets. "Almost there now. You can tell by the stadium."

Ken stared as they passed. Arsenal's homeground. Oh, yeah. He could do this.

Title: Toys  
Characters: Ryo and OFC  
Series: Post Gluhen  
A/N: Inspired by Marith's lovely fic Games.

Ryo found it at a toy store and his little daughter loved it, sending the butterfly yo-yo spinning along the string as she walked with him during his custody weekends.

He tried it too at her urgings and while he was good, there was something lacking.

He found the answer in piano wire. The thinnest strands danced under his hands, responding in a way the string couldn't.

It's like magic and his girl laughs and claps at the things he does.

It feels natural, the wire singing in the air, a remembered talent along with his flowers and art gallery.

Title: Back in Business  
Characters: Yohji and OC

"_Mommy, am I gonna die?"  
"Oh, no, baby, no. You're not going to die. They are. Cover your ears. Hey, should we get a dog?"_

- from The Long Kiss Goodnight

He had been happy not really knowing who he had been. Wife, daughter, good job… but his past hadn't been a blank slate and it finally caught him.

"Daddy… I think they're going to get the door open soon." Mia trembled at his side. There was still dried blood on her when Persia… no, when Omi and Asuka had died getting them out. He'd hold back his own grief for later. Much later.

"I know baby, but it's OK." Years later, the safe house was still intact. The spare watch slipped from its hiding spot. "Daddy's going to finish this."

Title: Musings with Tea  
Character: Aya  
Series: SideB  
Author's Note/Warnings: Purple Prose Alert! This is ann89103's fault. No really, she dared me to!

_"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents--except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness." - Bulwer-Lytton_

Aya leaned against the cool, rain-lashed bay window, a cup of now tepid tea lingering by his side and a dog-eared copy of _Romeo and Juliet_ dangling disinterestedly from his sword callused fingers as he idly reflected that while the English playwright certainly enjoyed great success with his tragedies Aya himself still much preferred the Asian style, which boasted far better sword fights (none of this silly western fencing but the timeless perfection of an iaijutsu sudden death bout) and the breath catching beauty of a dénouement under a full moon with sakura petals fluttering in the breeze laden air.


	3. AU's

AU's - these all have some element very different from the series...

Title: High Stakes  
Team: Weiss  
Character: Ken  
Series: Pre-series

Ken was on an adrenaline high. He could taste the victory.

"Here, you look hot." Kase pressed a drink in his hand. "You were great this first half."

"Thanks." He took a brief sip and set the plastic container down as the coach came up for last minute advice. Ken soaked in his words, bouncing in place. Finished, he saw two bottles standing side by side. He grabbed.

"Ken, that's not…" Kase began.

"Who cares! I'm off!" Kase looked strained, Ken wrote it off to the excitement.

Victory became ashes when Kase was murdered that night. Failure was not tolerated.

Title: Mission Planning  
Characters: Weiss

"OK, here's the layout. This is the bordello, which Balinese can infiltrate..."

"Whoah! Me? And just why am I automatically the whore here?" Green eyes flashed dangerously at the younger assassin.

"You're already a slut Kudoh, it's not much of a reach."

A resounding crack met that statement. "Well, fuck you too Aya, that's it, you are so cut off!" The leggy blonde stormed out of the briefing room with Omi in pursuit.

"Yoko-kun! I'm sure Aya's sorry!"

"Well, shit. Lost that bet." Ken eyed the rapidly growing red mark on Aya's face. "I thought for sure you were gay."

Title: Crossover High School of DOOM!  
Series: WK, Escaflowne, Bleach, Ranma ½, Real Bout High School, Gundam Wing and Full Metal Panic.

The school body president pressed his fingers to his temple.

The girls track team was out of commission with one of the two best runners missing a kidney and the other spirited away into a shaft of light after being chased by a dragon.

Kurosaki had been found unconscious in the hallway… again.

Saotome and Mitsurugi had trashed the dojo… again.

The was a distant thump and the building shook. Ah yes, mental note to remind both Sagara and Maxwell that Mobile Suits were not permitted on school property, even if it was an emergency.

And it was only October.

Title: The Torii Gate  
Characters: Aya and Farfarello  
A/N: Sometimes you shouldn't chase your victims. You might not know where they're running to.

Farfarello was disappointed. He'd thought this one would have been harder to corner as he loped through the weird little garden.

"Here, kitty, kitty..."

Abyssinian paused at a bright red gate. "Did you know my family was traditional?"

One gold eye narrowed. This was not how it was supposed to go.

"I know a demon when I see one." The swordsman clapped three times. Shapes began to pour out of the darkness, sliding around the Irishman, blocking off every escape.

There were strips of inked paper in Abyssinian's hand.

"You have no allies here, gaijin youkai. I do."

_Kill him._

Title: Dead Men Walking  
Characters: Manx and Yohji  
Series: Post OVA's  
A/N: Not all zombies are icky, brain hungry, rotting corpses...

Thin wire wound around Manx's neck and tightened dangerously.

"Did you know, Aya hasn't aged?" Cold anger in the normally seductive voice.

"This isn't new Balinese." Her voice was careful. "She didn't age in her coma either."

"I mean Abyssinian. He and Ken haven't aged in three years. I haven't either." A trickle of blood tracked down her throat. "Omi has. Why?"

Ah, Balinese was observant. Unsurprising. "Kritiker told you when we took you in. You are dead men." She turned her head to meet furious eyes. "Some of Masafumi's projects were very useful. Persia was a Takatori after all."

Title Pyrophobia  
Characters: Schuldig, Ken  
A/N: A little continuation from the previous challenge. Zombie!Weiss is on the brain right now.

It was both disgusting and attractive, Schuldig mused. He really hadn't been able to tell the difference in their minds until Crawford had uncovered Kritiker's dirty little secret.

Weiss was different from their Schreint sisters, they believed they were normal, alive.

Complete with phobias.

Dear sweet Ken, Frankenstein's monster with the dark terrible fear of that which killed him. As he should be. Schuldig had brushed up on undead killing techniques and fire was at the top of almost every list.

Deep in the night, he danced in the dreams of the dead and burned it all to Siberian's screams.

Title: Fairy Godmother  
Team: Weiss  
Word Count: 100  
Character: Schuldig

Three weeks ago, Crawford told him the vision.

_You'll meet a woman._

He'd never held his shields so tight before.

_She'll be everything you've ever desired._

She was. Beyond beautiful.

_She'll tell you she'll make all of your dreams come true._

A fae. A real fae. No mortal man or woman could ever compare.

_She'll be telling you the truth. She will._

Schuldig raised the gun and fired. Over and over and over. Cold iron slamming fifteen times into that incredible body. He reloaded and did it again.

_ALL your dreams._

No one was bringing those terrors to life. Ever.


	4. Opening Lines

A/N: This was terribly inspiring, and I promtly went and grabbed an author that has some of my very favorite opening lines. All these openers are written by Robert A. Heinlein, modified slightly for the Weiss lot.

Series: Varies

Title: The Shakes  
Character: Ken

I always get the shakes before a kill. That moment, just before I spring forward with my claws out, I am afraid. I used to get this way before a game, entering the stadium with the fans screaming, my fear of doing poorly would charge through my veins. It got so that I was eager for that adrenaline fueled rush, I needed it. Once I am in the fight, the fear fades to exhilaration, excitement. There are moments when I want to scream for help, that this is becoming a problem… but who would I scream to? My fellow killers?

Title: One Liners  
Character: Schoen  
"He's a Mad Scientist and I'm his Beautiful Assistant." Schoen laughed at her dance partner's confusion. "Oh, come now, tell me you haven't heard that line before?"

The man managed a weak smile at the stunning blonde. He ended up stumbling twice over his own feet and retiring off the floor.

Schoen sighed and drifted back towards the bar. Fools, all of them. The man never even noticed her slipping the tiny tracer into the hem of his jacket. He'd be a perfect new subject for her dear Masafumi's experiments.

A man offered her a drink, tall, attractive, alone. Perfect.

Title: Dinner  
Characters: Crawford and Schuldig

"We need you to kill a man." Crawford raised a brow at the man who had abruptly sat at his dinner table.

"Indeed, I feel no such need."

The man glanced around hurriedly. This is important, if Eiri isn't dead by noon, we're all…"

A red spot discolored the man's coat and he slumped forward gracelessly. The wait staff swiftly and silently cleaned up the mess, whisking a new set of linens in place. The other diners paid no attention.

"Did I miss anything?" Schuldig slipped back into his seat, grinning.

"No, perfect timing and aim as always." Target eliminated.

Title: Citysmart  
Characters: Aya and Chloe

As I left Heathrow International, he was right on my heels. Apparently - after flying across an entire ocean to a country I had never set foot in before - I was going to bolt for the exit. I gave the blonde a cold look as he hovered.

"Don't want you to get lost." He smirked gesturing me towards the taxi cab line.

"In this little town?" I scoffed.

"Little?"

I snorted. "I've been living in New York for the past year, and Tokyo was twice the size of this place." Really, I wasn't some directionally challenged fool like Ken.

Title: Refusal  
Character: Yohji

As the door of the room opened, the man seated staring glumly out the window looked around.

"And how are we today Mr…."

"You know I don't remember. Not yesterday, not today, maybe not ever."

The doctor sighed. "Well, keep trying. I came to tell you that the Takatori Foundation has taken an interest in your case. They're offering to assist with the bills, even a job…"

The blond man's head jerked upwards. "Takatori… no." He stood. "I'm not working for them." His hands were shaking now. Something was shouting at him, deep inside. That way lay danger. "Just… no."

Title:Reunion  
Characters: Yohji and Aya

I woke up in bed with a man and a cat. The cat was an old tom I took in who liked to crawl under the blankets. The man however… I hadn't been celibate since my divorce, but I'd never had a man in my bed before and I'm pretty sure he was the one who'd had me. Deep red hair fell just past his collarbone and his torso was as littered with scars as mine.

Violet eyes flickered open at my stirring. "Yohji?" There was so much confusion and hope in his voice.

He knew me. And I… "Ran."


	5. Reforging

**Challenge:** Secrets and Lies  
**Title:** Reforging  
**Rating:** PG  
**Series: **Side B  
**Notes:** Ahem… well… this is actually a slightly older plot bunny that I never wrote down, but occasionally it'd pop back up. This time it successfully managed to wiggle through. Maybe one day I'll write the whole thing out, but hopefully the intent of it comes through here.

**I.**

He could barely think through the agony. He was on his way home, there had been a flash of red…

"I know you're awake." Good Japanese, heavily accented. "It took a bit of doing, to take you secretly, without your protectors knowing, but it's done. They won't find you."

Find him? Protectors? He wasn't important, there were millions of ordinary men like him…

"Ordinary? Oh, you were never _ordinary._ I'm going to strip away those lies that they coated you in, bring back the magnificent thing you are." A pause. "Tell me your name."

"Itoh…"

_**Wrong**_ Pain lashed out again.

**II.**

It was pottery in reverse, Schuldig mused. Strip away the glaze until you bared the vase. Expose all its cracks, its flaws. Find the secrets the potter used when molding the clay. _Bitch did a good job. No wonder they're trying to duplicate her "perfect" memory wipe. Surpass the efforts of the best telepaths… _no, he'd never allow them to meddle in his own domain.

He paced around the weakened form, the feeble twitching of Balinese's fingers the only sign that the man was still trying to escape him.

_Ah, there's the weakness._ He struck, shattering the clay to powder.

**III.**

"Three months." The cell phone creaked under Aya's grip. "He's been missing for _three months_, and NOW you think to tell us?"

"We only just confirmed that he wasn't one of the victims. DNA testing took time…"

"And you forgot to mention that you thought he was dead too."

"You didn't need to know…"

A snarl ripped from Aya's throat. "How dare you…" Aya stared at a new hole in the wall. When had his hand started bleeding? "How dare you keep this from us? If you don't find him, we will. And if he's dead, Takatori…" _You will be._

**IV.**

There were no barriers. He was battered, shoved into a howling maelstrom that ripped open every locked door, scoured all his hidden places bare. Merciless, it pushed and tugged, showing him one truth after another, burning him with every sin, every grace, every kill, every moment. Detailed everything he could have been, could have done.

His tormentor reveled in the chaos. "Magnificent! Oh, Balinese you were worth all the effort and time it took!" He danced through the storm, plucking up the unresisting body, cradling it close. "Let me give you a present, a secret, just for you." A whisper.

**V.**

It had been a week since he had been found, dumped in front of KR's gates. Starved, beaten, shorn, he looked like the stark photos of the Nazi victims. He couldn't walk, he could barely stay awake to eat a few bites. They couldn't pry Aya and Ken out of his room with threats of death or football.

"Idiot," Aya whispered, smoothing the tape over the IV. "You are so troublesome."

Green eyes flickered from Ken's sleeping form across the end of the bed to a concerned violet gaze. A twitch of a smile. "But you love me anyways, Ran."


	6. Tarot

Title: Free Readings (9 Card Spread)  
Characters/Pairings: Kriptonbrand  
Author's Notes: . OK, I saw the topic and instantly knew who I was going to drabble about. Then the muses began to poke and say… what about the rest of them? So I pulled out some of my few sources of SideB, began matching cards to characters and many hours of furious scribbling later… I finished. Please enjoy.

He sits down every morning with a fresh pot of tea and a well loved and well used deck. For each member of his family, he sets out a pattern to see how they fare. He recalls vaguely in the mists of his tattered memories that there had been a man who had sneered at his cards. But the futures that Free sees are changeable things. He has choice, he sits at a crossroads. He remembers that the Oracle could only walk on the path that was given, never able to change what he saw. Free is a contented Fool.

Richard Krypton has always led by example. For him, his wealth, status and power are the tools he uses to leave the world around him better than how he found it. Never would he ask one of his own to do something he would not. Time and again, his experience and discipline has kept his people alive in adversity. He also knows when to step back, to let the younger backs take the heavier loads. Free hardly ever has to nudge anything for KR, the Emperor knows his course and is wise to the treacherous currents that eddy about him.

She is woman, she is mystery. As KR's personal secretary, Nana Mihirogi slides silently through the halls of power, apparently just one more faceless servant. A beautiful and tasteful accessory for a noble man, she is easy for the eyes to look upon and seemingly just as easily replaced. But Free's cards reveal the truth. Like the ocean that guards her homeland's shores, her mind runs deep, forever tracking and analyzing every piece of data that crosses her path. Every mission has her personal touch in its planning, every dark sacrifice cleansed by the High Priestess, keeping her hunters white.

Ken Hidaka's balance is a hard won thing. For the former athlete, killing did not come naturally. Kritiker threw him into the deep end of the pool and he very nearly drowned. His love of competition drove him forward; he sought to become a good killer, a better killer, the best of killers. His team was disintegrating; it took a disaster to halt his fall. Free sees him now, standing on the edge, still dipping in a foot, but relying on his team to keep him steady, to remind him of Temperance. Free makes sure he is never again alone.

She is the embodiment of everything they fight and suffer for. She will be desired and hunted the rest of her life. Her blood is priceless and it cost her everything. But she faces the unknown with valor, a girl living and working with the killers who slew her parents, who have sworn to protect her. Kurumi Shinjo's road is long and difficult with more challenges than is fair. Life isn't fair though, Free knows that all too well. He sees her surrounded by darkness, her face turned upwards, illuminated by the light of the Moon, chasing the shadows away.

Surviving on the streets isn't easy; in New York it's even tougher. Yuki had a place, a gang where he was accepted, cared for. It all came crashing down in a hail of bullets and blood, falling from the Towers of concrete and steel and swept across the sea to a new life. Sometimes Yuki has trouble coping with the changes, clinging to the last connection to his old life. Free watches the boy, gauging when he needs a nudge into the open or to be allowed to hide behind a redheaded shadow. Free knows the difficulty of starting over.

Aya Fujimiya is a force to be reckoned with. His course is straight and steady, he knows his purpose and he concentrates all his formidable will upon it. He meets his challenges with an upheld sword, his victories strewn behind him, scattered behind a Chariot's wheels, never once turning back to look behind. It is on this unwavering path that Free scouts ahead, Aya doesn't deal well with surprises. Best to keep him warned, allow him to remain focused. Aya is their brilliant red banner and if the flag falls in battle, so too does the army that follows it.

If ever there was an artistic killer, Chloe is the embodiment of it. Everything he does, he does with style, grace, an eye to the beautiful. Plants bend to his will, forming living arrangements to please the eye, when he sits with his owl on his wrist and a cat at his feet, Chloe could be a fairy lord, deigning to mingle with mortals. He is a shining Star, one that Free needs to catch occasionally and bring back to earth. One day, Free fears that he will miss and lose Chloe to the heavens that beckon him ever onwards.

In the most innocent of guises lurks a fathomless depth. Free had been lost, fallen into the dark pull of an insidious drug. Michel stood forward and despite the pain and loss, he refused to let him go. His Strength lay not in bone, sinew and muscle, but in spirit, heart and will. Michel reclaimed him and set him free. Free. He accepts, forgives, and loves. If Michel ever falls, Free knows that he would last only long enough to avenge him and then join him. It is Free's greatest fear and the one thing he works endlessly to prevent.


End file.
